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should you hire a condo expert

Should you hire a "condo expert"
to help buy an oceanfront condo in Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach, Florida? 

Let's explore why you would want to trade in your "regular" realtor for a condo expert when buying an oceanfront condo. 

If you are buying a condo in Brevard County, Florida in the near future you should be aware of the condo laws which have changed dramatically since the Miami condo collapse.

On May 26th, 2022, our beloved Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill SB 4-D: Building Safety. This statute requires that all condominium buildings that are 25 or 30 years of age, with three or more floors, must conduct structural integrity assessments known as Milestone Inspections.

Here is how it is affecting condo owners along the space Coast beaches:

* Association insurance policy prices have spiked this year resulting in assessments and increased monthly fees.  You need a condo expert to read financials and docs to see where each Condo Association is with their insurance requirements.

* As of December 31, 2024, an association may no longer vote to waive or underfund the reserves for items required to be included in a structural integrity reserve study. This will lead to increased monthly fees.

* The Florida Condominium Safety Bill requires the associations of condos that are 25 years old and 3 floors or higher, to recertify to ensure the property is safe for continued use. To satisfy this, they must perform Milestone Structural Inspections of the property.

* Starting in 2025, new Florida state law will require condo boards of buildings that are three stories or higher to set aside money to cover the cost of future major repairs, not for cosmetic stuff, but for "concrete restoration".  This will increase monthly and yearly assessments for ALL high-rise condos beachside.

* If your building is within 3 miles of the coastline, a Milestone Inspection must be performed when the building is 25 years old and every ten years after the initial inspection. This leads to concrete restoration work, not good.

* Concrete restoration of condos is a "hated" evolution for residents and it is very important for you to know prior to buying if your new condo has completed or is planning to perform concrete restoration in the future.

The engineering firm sends 2 guys out to your building every day to make the most annoying sounds with concrete drills and saws you have ever heard. 

Everyone will tell you that has lived through it, you can not stay inside a condo during concrete restoration outside.  Know when it's coming or hire a condo expert to help with the buying process.

Rick Houston is an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) and waterfront condo specialist in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  He helps buyer's new to the Space Coast of Florida find the perfect home or condo with sunrise views of the Atlantic ocean or sunset views on the Banana River.

As a veteran of the US Navy, Rick Houston with RE/MAX Aerospace Realty, holds a Military Relocation Professional (MRP) certification which enables him to help active military personnel transferring in and retired veterans find the best home or condo possible.  

All condos are not VA approved because they must meet strict criteria set forth by the Veterans Administration.  Rick Houston can help you navigate the pitfalls of buying a Cape Canaveral or Cocoa Beach condo with a VA loan.

Click here to view the list of VA Approved Condos in Brevard County



 

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What my clients are saying  

Rick was wonderful to work w with buying our new condo and selling our old one. He went above and beyond in so many areas. He was a great help in achieving our goal! Buying and selling as a snowbird was hard enough but Rick was always there for us! He is a professional in every way. We would work w him again for sure!

 

~ Marilou

We have only good things to say about Rick. We just closed on selling our condo today after a quick sale. We discussed the market and with his advice came up with the right selling price. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty when we were getting it ready to show. His eagerness was contagious. He kept us in the loop at all times. We would certainly recommend him without hesitation.

 

~ Pat

So I've read through the other reviews on this stream, and I 100% Agree with all the other above reviews. He went above and beyond, fixed up a bunch of things himself most of which I didn't even know about until I sold the property. He painted, got a handyman, removed extraneous decorations, and even replaced an appliance on his own dime after it came up during inspection. I recommend contacting him especially if you are working with waterfront property. He was great. I would definitely reach out to him again when in the buy/sell market of the Space Coast.

 

~ Beth

I'm a veteran and Rick Houston went above and beyond his duty as a realtor, he got the seller to put a new roof on the house.

 

~ Joe

Rick was my agent as both a buyer and later as a seller on the same house and was outstanding both times. As a buyer, he knew all the areas and what to look for and what to watch out for. He made efficient schedules to see all the houses I wanted and was very flexible with last minute changes. When I found the right place, he knew just how much to offer and negotiate for some concessions and repairs. So of course I called him back when I needed to move.

 

~ Mason part 1

Rick goes above and beyond as a seller's agent. He over and looked around to make suggestions on what we can improve in the time we had -- and then did them himself. He replaced my dead sprinkler pump and all of the old heads, had all of the trees trimmed up nicely, found a gardener to come by weekly after he added seed all around the house. Most impressively, he redid the whole planter in front of the entire house by pulling out an old dead tree, adding new mulch, and planting beautiful flowers that altogether gave the place dramatically improved curb appeal. He again knew how to negotiate with buyers and found the right ones and I couldn't be happier with how easy Rick made things. I could have gotten some random agent off of Redfin for a slightly lower commission, but they wouldn't have done any of that and I certainly would have sold for much less if I had done so. I would absolutely call Rick up again if I return to the state and recommend him to anyone looking for a Realtor.

 

~ Mason part 2

Rick was both very insightful and helpful with preparing our home for the sale. He transformed our garden to something you would see on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens. He made himself available to us around the clock. I would definitely work with him again!

 

~ Daniel

Rick is absolutely wonderful. We worked with him to sell our house and he made the experience as easy as possible. He really went out of his way to guide us through the selling process. Rick also managed to procure us our dream home in the midst of an extremely competetive market. I am forever grateful to him for all the time he spent working for my family to make that happen. He always took our calls and came to every inspection. Rick is honest and generous with his knowledge of homes. We felt confident buying a house with him. Cannot recommend him enough!!

 

~ Katie

Rick makes buying a home less stressful. He goes above and beyond to make sure you are taken care of. Recommend him 100%.

 

~ Donna

Rick was our agent when we bought our condo. He went out of his way to make certain the deal came through. He communicated well with the seller, finance company and COA to make things work. He was extremely responsive. Highly recommend!

 

~ Chris

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